Camden Underworld
26/04/06
On paper Beatallica‘s is a simple formula – one likely concocted by a bunch of chaps with little else to do in the wake of Beavis and Butthead’s passing – but on the basis of the rapturous response generated throughout the duration this evening’s 80-minute set, few of the astoundingly packed gathering would seemingly give a shit.
Blending the classic pop melodies of the Beatles and the thrash metal crunch of Metallica to create a sound that is almost entirely their own, prime cuts such as ‘Blackened The USSR’ and the hilarious ‘Hey Dude’ tonight succeed in provoking terrace-styled bedlam from an audience that’s truly theirs and theirs alone. It’s likely that many may well dismiss the Milwaukee quartet as little more than a glorified covers band – and they may well be right – but as endless supplies of alcohol hurtle through the air and rain down onto a floor of grinning faces and tired necks during the likes of rip-roaring ‘Garage Dayz Night’ and an impromptu bass solo that leaves more jaws than not firmly planted to the floor, only the biggest of tossers would really give a shit. Tonight was never about anything other than celebrating the legacy of two of music’s most influential acts to date, and drinking more than your own weight in alcohol in the process.
Perhaps it’s the slightly suspect smoke drifting over the crowd for the duration, or maybe it’s just the fact that the majority of those in attendance are utterly wankered, but Beatallica have seemingly turned the Underworld into Wembley Stadium, and for that they deserve all the weddings, birthdays and bar mitzvahs the world has to offer.